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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — a hat
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — the earth
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — to come down
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stock — shares
  14. land — a country
  15. content — the amount
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stock — goods
  18. ground — a position
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com